1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle roof, and more particularly to an improved roof for a passenger car.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, roofs for passenger cars are often made in the form of a roof module, which is connected to the body when the vehicle is assembled. Different functional parts, such as a sliding roof, lighting or the like, can be integrated in the roof module.
A roof module of a vehicle roof, which includes an outer roof skin, and a head liner, which represents an inside lining part, and to which an antenna and other electrical means are attached is known from German Patent No. DE 199 58 605 A1. However, the head liner is not suited for attachment of heavy functional elements, such as, for example, a sliding roof or the like.
German Patent No. DE 199 51 659 C2, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,797, discloses a vehicle roof, which is made as a sandwich-like composite component. This vehicle roof, which can be placed with its outside edges on the body frame, and which can be permanently connected to it, has an outer shell, which is used as the outer roof skin. The vehicle roof is backed with an inside shell, which is molded from foam plastic and is used as an inside roof lining. In the inside shell, there are recesses for functional elements, such as speakers or the like. The configuration of the vehicle roof with functional elements is established in the production of the inner shell, i.e., when the inside shell is foamed onto the outside roof skin, since the corresponding recesses, for aesthetic reasons, must be equipped with the corresponding functional elements.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,096 discloses a roof module, which is provided with a head liner element, and with a carrier element for carrying electrical means on an edge area thereof facing the windshield. The carrier element extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle and is fitted into a recess of the head liner element.